Tactile 3D 1.2.7.3083

This is no game. Tactile 3D is the next generation 3D desktop which aids in organizing your files and directories by allowing you to customize their position in a 3D space. All common file operations are supported. Welcome to cyberspace.
Think of Tactile as a 3D file explorer with the ability to organize in a 3D space by exploiting useful visual and audible cues. The design of the interface is based on our remarkable ability to recall the placement of a virtually unlimited number of stationary objects. Quick! Wheres your camera? What drawer are your blue socks in? Tactile 3D effectively identifies files, directories, and drives by using various 3D models. Organizing your data in a more visual way alleviates the current necessity to remember cryptic file and path names to get what you want.
Many features of modern 2D desktops remind us that there isnt enough room to organize large numbers of files. Menus that pop up from nowhere and virtual desktops are indications that a better organizational construct is needed.
Tactile 3D corrects these deficiencies by improving upon traditional tree-based file system interfaces. It is more than a 3D replacement for your 2D desktop. It is an organization system for entire hierarchies of information. It will not try to take-over your current desktop and runs as a standard windows application. The desktop has had decades of development and any improvements need to integrate into that established and robust framework.
The Tactile 3D UI allows you to roam around a 3D space and place objects where you want. Each object gives clues as to its contents by emitting sounds and mapping thumbnails and icons onto certain faces. Other cues include a faster rotation rate for recently accessed content, different lighting for read-only files, and variation in collision sound effects based on file size.
Structurally Tactile 3D is a tree and allows you to explore your entire filesystem. You are able to enter various spaces like hard drives, removable media, and directories. The scale of the the space you enter depends on the number of files and other objects that must fit inside. The overall impression this leaves is one of exploring a vast virtual landscape, with each directory being a new world. Its difficult to describe; so simply try it for yourself.
One of the primary goals of this project was to develop a tool that is both useful and emmersive. A great deal of effort was spent on giving Tactile 3D impressive graphics and sound. However, just as much effort was spent on implementing features not found in standard file explorers. These features include a stack for common file operations. Most file explorers simply erase previous copy or move selections, while Tactile 3D remembers them. There are also features that allow any object to be user-positioned, unlike most systems where only items on the desktop have specific positions.
All objects are numbered, and you can easily scroll to the next or previous one. This is particularly useful for scrolling through image or photo collections. There is a hot-key system that works like radio buttons in a car. Hit the hot-key and you are instantly transported to that location. To use Tactile 3D for organizing music on your CDs, simply grab and move your favourite mp3 or CDDA tracks to the side. The next time that CD is inserted, Tactile 3D will remember where you placed them. Youll be able to quickly determine what tracks you want to play.
Features:
OpenGL
Fast high-quality rendering speeds are achieved via use of the OpenGL graphics library.
OpenAL
The OpenAL audio rendering library is used for producing spacialized audio effects.
Immersion TouchSense
If you have a tactile feedback mouse it will be utilized in the Tactile 3D environment. The Logitech iFeel mouse is one such device.
Arbitrary Placement of File System Objects
Files, directories, and drives may be placed anywhere in the 3D world. This is an extremely powerful organizational tool. The places you decide to put your information are much easier to remember than linear directory lists sorted by various criteria. The extra dimension afforded by 3D buys an aweful lot of power.
Sorting Boxes
Every container (drive or directory) has a sorting box. Objects inside this box can be sorted into different 3d configurations, like a double-helix, pyramid, or cylinder. The sorting key may be set, be it name, filesize, type, or modification date, as well as the direction. Objects outside the box are considered user placed.
Low CPU Sleep Mode
When Tactile 3D doesnt have focus it goes to sleep. It basically uses 0% in this state; or you can set it to update at a slower fps. The neat thing is, its still very responsive. Its a very light sleeper. If, for example, a window is dragged over-top of Tactile 3D, it responds immediately when a redraw is needed (and only when one is needed). Tactile 3D is responsive yet respectful of other applications need for CPU time. When an application is opened, Tactile 3D will immediately go to sleep. You shouldnt notice any difference in the launch times of your apps.
Monitor Resolution Scaling
Tactile 3D handles monitor resolution changes by scaling the window to preserve the same proportion of desktop space . It is able to do this if the resolution is changed while its in operation. If Tactile 3D isnt running then it resizes itself the next time it is executed.
Intuitive Navigation System
Tactile 3D incorporates a unique navigation system which allows the user to quickly and easily move around in the 3D space using a standard 2-button mouse. It does this without complex modes that reduce degrees of freedom.
Familiar Icon Mappings
Tactile 3D maps the familiar desktop icons onto the faces of the information matter models. This helps reduce the learning curve and makes it immediately clear what type of data is being viewed or accessed. In addition, if thumbnails of the filetype are supported, Tactile 3D will map them onto the model. This thumbnail support is intergrated into the shell; if you install a third party thumbnail viewer for specific file-types, they will work in Tactile 3D as well (at a good quality level to boot).
Hot-Key Locations
Quick jump keys. A simple press of a key can fly you to your most frequented locations in the information space. Pressing a key twice sets the current location to that hot-key. This feature makes Tactile 3D faster to use than most other 2D file exploring applications.
Visual Property Queues
Within the Tactile 3D environment many of the properties youd associate with a file are represented graphically. A hidden file pr folder is semitransparent, rotation rates indicate last modification date, read-only status is represented by a red hue, etc.
Version restrictions:
- 30-day trial